The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to isotope production systems, and more particularly to target apparatus of isotope production systems that are configured to control thermal energy within a target chamber.
Radioisotopes (also called radionuclides) have several applications in medical therapy, imaging, and research, as well as other applications that are not medically related. Systems that produce radioisotopes typically include a particle accelerator that generates a particle beam. The particle accelerator directs the beam toward a target material in a target chamber. In some cases, the target material is a liquid (also referred to as a starting liquid), such as enriched water. Radioisotopes are generated through a nuclear reaction when the particle beam is incident upon the starting liquid in the target chamber.
However, the incident particle beam can also significantly increase the thermal energy of the starting liquid thereby transforming at least a portion of the starting liquid into a vapor. The vapor increases the pressure within the target chamber. To limit transformation of the liquid into vapor, conventional systems may reduce the beam current to a predetermined level and/or inject a working gas (e.g., helium) into the target chamber that effectively raises the boiling temperature of the starting liquid. However, reducing the beam current may also reduce production of radioisotopes.